Minority-Led

More than a virtual grocery store, Pantry Goods is keeping food (and soil) ‘alive’

By Tommy Felts / October 3, 2020

Whole foods have never been so affordable, Marcelle Clements said, as Pantry Goods sews seeds of sustainability in Kansas City and consumers reap a harvest full of benefits.  “I’ve always had one foot in this farming, sustainable world,” said Clements, founder of Pantry Goods, discussing her passion for the project — a virtual grocery store, stocked…

Better the next day: Halal street food thrives to-go with a simple recipe — optimism, good food and hungry neighbors

By Tommy Felts / October 1, 2020

While countless local restaurants have struggled through pandemic-served challenges, business has been nothing short of amazing for Brookside Pakastani staple Chai Shai, said Aasma Tufail.  “I cook simple food — and people love it so much. I am so blessed, business has been better than before,” said Tufail, who owns the restaurant alongside son, Kashif,…

A place to belong: Business model built to shatter intimidation lifted City Gym through COVID’s heaviest season yet

By Tommy Felts / October 1, 2020

Ahead-of-the-curve thinking helped keep City Gym strong in the early days of COVID-19 when the weight of the pandemic dropped on people-focused industries.  “We lost a fair amount of members — maybe they couldn’t  financially afford it anymore, maybe they didn’t feel safe,” said Hailee Bland Walsh, founder and owner of City Gym in Waldo.…

BacklotCars developer balances work, school and helping recover 33,000 pounds of food for the hungry 

By Tommy Felts / September 30, 2020

Behind the scenes of BacklotCars’ historic $425 million exit deal, one of the Kansas City company’s top developers is feeding innovation in his home country, said Josh Parsons. Pablo Ulguin — a full-time senior software developer at BacklotCars who also is completing night school in Uruguay to earn a degree in computer science and learn…

New in KC: Why Jackie Nguyen hit the brakes on acting to open a mobile coffee cafe

By Tommy Felts / September 26, 2020

Editor’s note: New in KC is an ongoing profile series that highlights newly relocated members of the Kansas City startup community, their reasons for a change of scenery, and what they’ve found so far in KC. Click here to read more New in KC profiles. Lifting the curtain on the region’s first Vietnamese coffee traveling cafe, Jackie Nguyen is…